Thiruvananthapuram: Journalist KM Basheer was killed by a car. The court asked Sriram Venkataraman to appear in person on Thursday. Sriram sought time to present his argument three times. Time was sought when the case was heard on June 6 last, March 30 and December 11 last year. When the case was heard on June 6 last, the court ordered him to appear and testify on Thursday.
The court is summoning Sriram for trial in a situation where the Supreme Court has faced a heavy blow to Sriram, who filed a revision petition seeking acquittal in the case. The Supreme Court had dismissed Sriram Venkataraman’s revision petition, ordering that the case be heard on August 25, 2023. The intervention of the court was rejecting the argument that the case of homicide cannot stand. Earlier, the High Court had taken a similar stand.
Sriram approached the Supreme Court against the High Court’s verdict which reinstated the charges of manslaughter and destruction of evidence in the case. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s position by pointing out that it should be clear in the trial whether the crime of homicide can stand. With this, the situation is ready to face trial for the crime of homicide.
Sriram’s main argument was that there was no evidence to charge him with murder. He raised the argument in the High Court and the Supreme Court that in the scientific test report in the charge sheet, there is no trace of alcohol in his body and this is only a case under the Motor Vehicle Department Act.
